Symetra Life Insurance Company branding will appear on the upper left-hand shoulder of the Seattle Storm’s home and away jerseys

Seattle Storm

To advance women in sports, you are either part of the solution, or you are part of the problem – full stop.

WNBA owners, Ginny Gilder, Dawn Trudeau, and Lisa Brummel co-founded Force 10 Hoops, LLC for the sole purpose of purchasing the Seattle Storm (Anne Levinson was a co-founding owner and chair from 2007-2010). As season ticket holders, they were on a mission to keep one of Seattle’s greatest assets – women’s professional basketball – in the Pacific Northwest.

As innovative entrepreneurs, they operate at the forefront of the solution: whether it is rallying in support of Planned Parenthood, the nonprofit that provides reproductive health care; publicly calling for the WNBA to be leaders in addressing issues such as sexual harassment, domestic violence, and sexual assault well before the #MeToo Movement; or cultivating talented rosters and winning WNBA championships.

Equity, diversity and inclusion drive the Storm. These core values fundamentally shape how CEO and general manager, Alisha Valavanis, runs the organization and what she looks for when identifying corporate partners.

“This was a natural fit for Symetra,” said Margaret Meister, president and CEO of Symetra Financial Corporation and president of its insurance subsidiaries.

“From a business perspective, we need to build our name recognition on a national level. But we want to cement that we are Northwest company and appeal as an employer of choice for men and women. When we look at the Seattle Storm, it is a great institution and a successful sports team in our area. Who does not want to be a part of that?

Symetra also negotiated a separate endorsement deal with point guard Sue Bird. The WNBA all-time assists leader stars in a new TV spot for the company’s “Jibber Jabber” campaign, which aired throughout the NCAA basketball tournaments.

Digging deeper, the Storm and Symetra recognized that their business initiatives and values align.

“When you go to a Storm game, you can see it. It is a family event. It appeals to women and celebrates women,” Meister said. “A central tenet for me that is important for Symetra’s success and important for the industry overall is making sure that we have diversity. Women in leadership, women whom we do business with, and making sure that we recognize women as the customers who are buying our products now and buying our products in the future.”

A deep commitment to women runs central to Symetra’s core. Its senior leadership team includes a roster of female executive officers, and the organization has rolled out a goal of pay equity, especially in the higher paying positions. Meister, who worked her way up at the company since starting as an actuarial student over 30 years ago, is focused on systemic pay equity issues, which she believes is an alignment that can come out through the Storm marquee partnership.

As the Storm enters its 20th season, Valavanis noted that marquee partnerships build out an economic and financial model that provides sustainability and growth opportunities for WNBA athletes and franchises. During her tenure, Storm profits have soared more than 250% after a 60% revenue increase, as reported by the Puget Sound Business Journal.

“We are striving to lead from the front and be innovative, entrepreneurial in our approach to business. We are open to the intersection of business and sport and social change,” said Valavanis.

“Margaret and her team are walking the walk. Externally they are aligning their brand to do something that demonstrates a shift that corporate America does value women’s professional sports as a platform for brand visibility. This is where were are trying to turn a corner, and show that big brands are interested in partnering with women’s professional sports and athletes.”

Correction: This story has been updated to reflect an additional co-founding member of Force 10 Hoops, LLC.